DETROIT—In a sign the U.S. auto-parts industry could sidestep most of the financial fallout from Japan's earthquake, bellwether Johnson Controls Inc. reported a 29% jump in quarterly earnings and raised its fiscal-year forecast.

The agreement to plead guilty in the U.S. also comes after Japan's Fair Trade Commission earlier this month fined Yazaki and two other Japanese auto-parts makers a combined ¥12.89 billion, or about $170 million, for rigging bids to supply wire harnesses as a result of the investigation that Japan's FTC began in February 2010.

Sherrod Brown D., Ohio said he plans to call for more aggressive trade enforcement action against China on Tuesday, holding an event with labor leaders at the Capitol on highlighting American job losses caused by alleged Chinese unfair practices in the auto-parts trade.

Monday's plea agreements came nearly two years after the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Michigan offices of Yazaki, Denso and a third auto-parts maker, Tram Inc. Tram was unavailable to comment.

DETROIT—To understand what the steel industry is up against in dominating the car market, consider seven cubes displayed by German auto-parts giant ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the Detroit auto show, which ended Sunday.